Compiled by Paul Vettise
Under strict health and safety requirements, New Zealand Bloodstock Airfreight has successfully completed a test flight with a small pool of horses from Auckland to Sydney.
With new regulations and plans in place for grooms, NZB can confidently begin to work on limited flights for the backlog of horses requiring trans-Tasman travel.
The test flight was conducted with all grooms and travelling staff in full personal protective equipment including overalls, masks and gloves, with loading and unloading completed by a separate bubble of handlers to avoid any potential spread of the COVID-19 virus.
All horses were from the same property, using only one horse float for transport to the airport and one vet for the inspections and pre-flight checks, allowing complete control over horse and human movements and detailed contact tracing recorded.
Planning is underway for future flights | Image by Mario Borg courtesy of AAP Photos
The strong working relationship with Tasman Cargo Airlines staff and pilots has made it possible for the planning process to get underway for future flights.
While NZB Airfreight is working on opening all ports for equine freight, services in the near future will only be possible via Auckland to Sydney and return until government Alert Levels are eased to a Level 2 or lower.
The major challenge for NZB Airfreight will be the movement of grooms and staff internationally and the return of the horse stalls that are currently overseas, with limited cargo services to ship these.
NZB are working closely with all regulatory bodies, airlines and governments around the world to get travel lines open to all of our major racing jurisdictions, requiring some patience from clients as restrictions are adhered to.
Latest from the USA
Fasig-Tipton showcase yearling sale
Courtesy of TDN America
Fasig-Tipton will consolidate its July, Saratoga, and New York-bred yearling sales into one selected yearling auction, the 2020 Selected Yearlings Showcase, to be held on September 9-10 at its Lexington, Kentucky facility.
The company came to the decision after evaluating the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic for the last several weeks and it was made after consultation with Keeneland, whose September Yearling Sale begins September 14.
“We are excited to offer our buyers and sellers a selected yearling venue in Kentucky,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “We envision this catalogue will include yearlings that would traditionally fit our Saratoga Sale, as well as those that would fall in the upper echelons of our July and New York-Bred yearling sales.”
The July, Saratoga, and NY-bred Selected Yearling Sales will return to their traditional dates in 2021. The company intends to conduct the remainder of its 2020 auction calendar as scheduled, including its upcoming Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale June 29-30 in Timonium, Maryland.
Fasig-Tipton will also offer a group of selected New York-bred yearlings as part of the Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, to be held October 20 in Saratoga Springs.
A crowded Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in 2019 | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
“2020 has been a difficult year so far, and we are all being forced to make decisions that we never envisioned having to make,” said Browning. “We waited as long as possible to come to these determinations, conducting our due diligence to ensure that we make informed decisions that are in the best interests of our buyers and sellers.
“The 2-year-old sales season needs to conclude before yearling sales begin–which makes a traditional July Sale unfeasible." - Boyd Browning
“The 2-year-old sales season needs to conclude before yearling sales begin–which makes a traditional July Sale unfeasible. Our two Saratoga auctions are tied closely to the race meet. We desperately want to see a traditional Saratoga race meet as much as anyone.
“However, the details for the race meet, including whether spectators will be permitted, are understandably not finalised. We are at a point in time where we must provide our sellers with a definitive schedule so that they can make sales plans for their yearlings.”
Latest from Europe
Government support
Courtesy of TDN Europe
The French Government has expressed its support of a phased-in resumption of the racing program in France from Monday, May 11, and has announced financial aid for the racing sector largely through a temporary cut in betting tax.
Last Tuesday, the French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume and his ministerial colleague Gérald Darmanin met Edouard de Rothschild and Jean-Pierre Barjon, the respective heads of France Galop and trotting authority LeTrot, to discuss plans to allow the return of racing action in the week following the easing of lockdown restrictions for France.
Edouard de Rothschild has been involved in ministerial meetings | Image courtesy of Racing Post
Also at the meeting were directors of the PMU, which essentially funds horseracing through its betting monopoly.
It has been proposed by France Galop that racing will start initially behind closed doors and under strict sanitary conditions with only two representatives per horse allowed at the racecourse.
The first phase of the resumption which will see up to three fixtures take place per day in different regions.
Edouard de Rothschild | Image courtesy of Scoop Dyga
While racing looks set to resume behind closed doors next month, a complicating factor in funding the sport is that a large number of the cafes which house PMU betting outlets will only be reopened gradually from June.
“At this point the news sounds positive. It has approval from the top level but in the current circumstances things change from one day to another and the situation is so unpredictable," Edouard de Rothschild told TDN Europe.
“The language is a bit cautious in the sense that we are never sure what is going to happen in two weeks’ time but the [view of the] office of the Prime Minister is quite favourable.”
